• Av. el Sol 200, Cusco - Peru

Salkantay trek panaka journey 5d/4n

Duration

5 days

Max People

16

Min Age

8+

Pickup

Airpot

So, anyone who knows anything about Peru knows about the Inca Trail, and with good reason. It is an amazing way to get to Machu Picchu, while making the most of what this ancient path has to offer: fascinating Inca ruins, cloud forests, subtropical jungle, not to mention the amazing llamas and alpacas you will meet on the way and the local flora you will marvel at. As far as Salkantay goes, it used to be only an alternative to the Inca Trail when this was sold out, but nowadays it has become a choice in itself. And so, it should be, as it has been classified as one of the top 20 treks in the world. And because we know it would be a hard choice between these too, we have carefully designed an amazing trekking tour, that gets you the best parts of both: the 5-day, 4-night Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu.

With this trek, you will enjoy the stunning scenery offered by the Salkantay trek and the humantay lake the first 3 days, and on the fourth day you will get off the beaten track, on a path that will connect you with first portion of the classic Inca Trail, and to see couple of the inkan sites like patallacta inka ruin the largest village along the classic inka trail which you will then follow on the first day, in order to reach one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu, on foot.
The Salkatanay part of the trek comes with the whole package: andean peruvian gastronomy, folklore, stunning glaciers, crystal clear lakes, cloud forest and rain forest, which on the last part transforms into rich vegetation and enigmatic ruins, this way giving you the best of nature and culture. With this trek, only offered by panaka adventure , you get to camp in the middle of nature, surrounded by the majesty of the mountains, for 3 nights, while on the other 1 night you will sleep in hotel, in Aguas Calientes, respectively. You also get a very pleasant train ride, on day 4, from Ollantaytambo to km aguas calientes town where to enjoy dinner in a nice restaurant on the fourth day in Aguas Calientes, horses that carry 8kg of your personal belongings, the permit to machupicchu and much more.

Trip Overview

Tour Type: Trekking/hiking, cultural, gastronomy ,adventurous and folklore
Good For: 4,650 meters
Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult
Considerations: This trek follows a different route than our 5 Day trek. The campsite on the first night is near Salkantay. On the third day we will enjoy the typical dímela and folklore, On the fourth day we will hike the first day of the Classic Inca Trail.
Price: 785 usd Per person

Included/Excluded

  • Briefing: The night before your trek, we will go to our hotel for your briefing. You will receive your duffel bag that will stay with your porters, while you hike. This bag should not exceed 7 kg/14 lbs and does need to include your sleeping bag and air mattress.
  • Professional Guides: All of our guides studied English and tourism at University. They all grew up in this region and have a true passion to teach others about their heritage. They are fun yet professional, and will ensure you are safe and happy.
  • Porters: We include a personal porter, who is responsible for carrying your duffel bag containing your personal items. There is no additional fee for this. We will give you your duffel bag at your briefing the night before, to be filled with the things you will need for the next night and day. You will not have access to your duffel bag until your arrive at your evening campsite.
  • Hotel: The alternative treks all end in, or before Aguas Calientes. The last night is spent at a hotel in the village, rather than camping. This 3 star hotel is included in the trek cost, and is based on a shared room. If you would like to upgrade your hotel, or prefer a single room, there will be an additional cost.
  • Transportation: All your transportation are included in this trek. You will be picked up directly from your hotel around 4 a.m., and brought to the start of the trek, to the trail head. Your guide will hand out your bus ticket to make your way down from Machu Picchu to Aguas Clientes, and you will be booked on the expedition train leaving that afternoon. If you prefer, you can upgrade your train leaving Aguas Clientes to the Vistadome train for $75 per person. Once you arrive to the train station, we will bring you back to your hotel in Cusco.
  • Equipment: Panaka adventure has the best equipment. We use four man, Eureka, Timberline tents that are shared by only two people. You will have a spacious dining tent to enjoy your meals in.
  • Food: The Panaka adventure ‘s chefs cook delicious meals that many previous trekkers have raved about. We honor all food restrictions. Be sure to remind your tour guide of any food restrictions at the beginning of your trek. Food is typically served family-style. You will enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner each day of the trek, along with a happy hour of tea and snacks. You will also be provided a snack each morning, for you to enjoy along the hike. Your last meal with your chef will be after breakfast on day four. Lunch the last day is not included.
  • Water: Beginning from your first lunch until your last breakfast, Panaka adventure will supply all the water needed. This water will be boiled, filtered and then cooled, before distributing. You must supply your own water bottles or camel back. We recommend carrying about 3L worth. We will refill our waters at each meal.
  • Entrances to Machu Picchu and Inca Trail permit.
  • First Aid: Every Panaka adventure guide has received training in first aid from a physician. We conduct mandatory training sessions every February, which every single Panaka tour guide must attend. Your tour guide will always have a first-aid kit for basic medical problems (traveler’s diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) and oxygen. We will get you off the trail as quickly and comfortably as possible, if needed, and ensure you get directly to a clinic for treatment.
  • Extras: We believe it's the attention to small details that separates us from other tour companies. Every trekker receives a small pillow to sleep with, a foam mat for insulation, a rain poncho. We will work hard to create your best vacation.
  • Our top priority will always be the safety of our clients and our team. While we are prepared and all our guides are trained for most of the issues clients have on the mountain, being a phone call away from any doctor, hospital or friend helps everyone feel assured that they are safe. Radios, which all our guides have, are limited in how far they can reach.
  • Rentals: Every trekker needs a sleeping bag, when camping. Inflatable air mattresses and walking sticks (with rubber tips) are optional, but encouraged. If you don’t want to bring any of the above, they are all available for rent: Sleeping Bag: $20 Inflatable Air Mattress: $15 Walking Sticks (Pair): $15
  • Huayna Picchu: Huayna Picchu is the mountain that stands next to Machu Picchu. It is a 45 minute hike to the top. Going back down is quite steep, if you are scared of heights. This is done after your tour of Machu Picchu. The cost is $35 per person. Arrangements need to be made at least one month in advance, due to popularity. Since you are hiking the Inca Trail, you will experience a similar view from the Sun Gate. Please understand that weather is out of our control.
  • Day packs: Day packs are not provided by Panaka adventure You must bring your own. Be sure you don't being anything too large, as you don’t want it to be too heavy while you're trekking. Plus, Machu Picchu will not allow you to bring in a bag larger than 25L, so if you have a large backpack it will need to be stored before your tour. Only essentials are needed while trekking: water, snack, camera, sunhat, warm layer, rain layers, insect spray, sunscreen, and a first-aid kit.
  • Headlamps: It is strongly encouraged to bring a headlamp for your night camping. There will be no lights at the camping sites and it is hard to get to your dining tent or you bathroom tent without one. Flashlights are acceptable, if you don’t have a headlamp, but make some tasks more difficult.
  • Flights: Flying to Cusco can be tricky. Delays occur often and it is not uncommon for flights to be cancelled. Please be sure to arrive in the city at least two days before your trek start date. LAN Peru is the most reliable of the airlines. Avianca and Peruvian Airlines are acceptable companies, as well. You will not return from your trek until around 8 p.m. on the last day, so be sure your flight is not until the next day, when leaving Cusco.
  • Gratuities: Tipping is always appreciated and should be based completely on your satisfaction. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels.
  • Travel Insurance: This is not required, but always recommended. For those of you who live at sea-level, landing in Cusco will take an adjustment period. Most people need one or two days to adjust. In case you have a hard time adjusting to the altitude, it is suggested to have protection for missed tours.

Tour Plan

Day 01 CUSCO-CHALLACANCHA_SORAYPAMPA – HUMANTAY LAGOON – SALKANTAY PAMPA

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco between 4:00 am to 4.30 am in our private transportation before embarking on a 3.5-hour car drive to the trail head soraypampa (3900 m.a.s.l). Once at trail head, you will enjoy your first breakfast along with your trekking group´s chef, guides and support team. After breakfast, you will begin your trekking to machupicchu hiking up to the water canal and then following to it toward the salkantay mountain for about 2 hours with an amazing scenic views to snow capped mountains as salkantay and humantay peaks until our first lunch spot soraypampa where our trekking crew will be waiting on us with out first delicious lunch ready where we are going to meet the rest of our crew like the muleteers and we will have a short time to pack our things for a half day trek and we give our duffel bags to them and after a deserve siesta we continue This hike will be approximately 1.5 hours and will take you to the skirts of Humantay Mountain where the beautiful, crystalline-blue waters of the Humantay Lagoon lay. After breathing in the beauty of such magical place, you will begin making your way back down to the main trail point to continue with your hike to the first camp ground. This hike will be approximately 2 hours of gradual ascent until reaching Salkantaypampa (4,000 m.a.s.l) – with an estimated arrival time of 1 p.m. Salkantaypampa is located on the skirts of the Salkantay glacier mountain and has some unmatched views of the Salkantay Mountain.where we are going to spend our first night in our personal tents this campsite will have you closer to the magnificence of Salkantay Mountain and will make your overnight stay an unforgettable night under the stars.

Walking distance: 14km
Trail head elevation: 3,700 m.a.s.l.-
Camp site elevation: 4,000 m.a.s.l.
Weather: Cold day
Trail type: Challenging (due to elevation)

Day 02 Salkantaypampa - INCA FROZEN PASS – INCA CANAL

early wake up accompanied by amazing views of the surrounding glacier peaks and mountains, you will enjoy your breakfast and get ready for the day´s hike. From salkantay pampa we will hike approximately 4 hours slow passé gradually ascending terrain until reaching the pass known as Inca Chiriaska, located at 5,100 (m.a.s.l.). Just as its name in Quechua implies, this place is cold (almost frozen depending on the time of year) but has the best views of the mountains by the Salkantay glacier peak. You will enjoy the breath-taking scenery with your hot tea drink before continuing on. The hike from the pass will be to the lunch spot at approximately 3.5 hrs downhill. At this spot, you will see yet another glacier beauty – the Palcayoc peak.
After lunch and a well-deserved break, you will continue hiking for another 3 hours downhill to the campsite at Inca canal mirador at 3600 masl. This camp will be an amazing place where we are going to enjoy the view of salkantay glacier from the northeast side the peak and the the view of the local indigenous community we’ll know as pampaccahuana. where we are gonna enjoy the typical Peruvian Andean meal Pachamanka ( pacha-earth manka-pot) Pauccar cancha is located near the Inca ruins of Pauccar Cancha at 3,300 m.a.s.l ).

Walking distance: 14 km
Starting point elevation: 4000 m.a.s.l
Highest point of the trail: 5100m m.a.s.l
Campsite elevation: 3600 m.a.s.l
Trail type: Challenging (due to elevation)

Day 03 Inaca canal mirador - paucarcancha ruin – HUAYLLABAMBA COMMUNITY

In our day three we are gonna wake up with a majestic view to salkantay mountain to enjoy our morning tea and later we are gonna enjoy our breakfast with the same view and after we get ready for our easy day hike your guide will guide you to visit one the local endiginius peoples house where we can share a time with this amazing hard life people and them we continue our hike to the Inka canal where your guide is going to explain about the canal to later continue for 4 hours gradually descending all the way to paucarcancha our first Inka site where we gonna have a short history lesson about our ancestors from this place to get our camp it will take us only half our hike once we reach this point our crew will be waiting for us to participate in our typical Peruvian Andean meal cooking pachamanka (delicacy Peruvian dish)we help them to buried the oven a wait for 40 minutes to be ready and then we help them to unburied to later have our delicious meal with hold our crew and few local people together after we will have a time to digest and offer a deserve break local people we take you in a farming field for couple of hours to help them in any activity depending on the season later you will deserve a nice hot shower an to be ready for our live show around 5 pm a group of local people gonna dance a typical Highland dances after the show we will have a light dinner to rest well.

Starting point elevation: 3600m.a.s.l
Highest point of the trail: 3600 m.a.s.l
Campsite elevation: 2950 m.a.s.l
Trail type: moderate easy (due to down hill)

Day 04 HuayllaBamba community-. KM 82-OLLANTAYTAMBO - AGUAS CALIENTES TOWN

before continuing on with your hike. Today´s highlight will be entering to the Inca Trail for a section of the original path. On this hike, you will be mesmerized by the stunning views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. In addition, you will also get a taste of the Inca Trail by visiting the famous Llactapata Inca archaeological site. This site is known for having been an Inca village characterized by its houses, water channels, and many largest farming skill terraces gently bordering the mountain side. From Llactapata, you will hike for about 1 hour until your lunch.
After lunch and a well-deserved break, you will hike for another 2 hours until Km 82 where you will meet our private van Ollantaytambo-bound. Once in Ollantaytambo, you will enjoy your dinner and will take a train to Aguas Calientes town for your overnight stay.

Walking distance: 11 km
Campsite elevation: 2950 m.a.s.l
Trail end elevation: 2700 m.a.s.l
Aguas Calientes elevation: 2000 m.a.s.l
Trail type: Moderate
Accommodations: tierra viva hotel (or similar)

Day 05 MACHUPICCHU – ( HUAYNA PICCHU / MACHU PICCHU MONTANA OPTIONAL ) – RETURN TO CUSCO

After early breakfast at the hotel, you will walk to the bus station alongside your guide to take one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. The bus service is first come, first served basis, departing every 5 minutes and lasting approximately 25 minutes to Machu Picchu. Upon arrival to Machu Picchu, you will walk into Machu Picchu with your guide to the main lookout point. Here, you will be able to take your post card pictures of Machu Picchu. After enjoying the sunrise (weather dependent), you will begin your guided tour of Machu Picchu. During your guided tour, your guide will explain and take you to the most important sections of the citadel.

Following your guided tour, you will get to explore Machu Picchu with your tour guide. You will also have free time to explore the site on your own. If you have booked the extra hike to Huayna Picchu Mountain, you will climb it at this time. If you do not book this extra hike, you will still have the option to climb to the Sun Gate (an hour and a half) or to the Inca bridge (45 minutes).
After your visit to Machu Picchu, you will be required to take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes town to enjoy your lunch (not included). You return train from Aguas Calientes town to Ollantaytambo will be in the afternoon - those who have not booked either extra hike will have train tickets for the service at 2:55 pm and those who have booked either extra hike will have train tickets for the service at 4:22 pm.

In Ollantaytambo, our driver will be waiting for you to transfer you back to Cusco. We will drop you off at your hotel.

Packing list

  • Passport
  • Valid, STUDENT CARD (if you booked as a student)
  • Immigration Card (given on the plane as you enter Peru)
  • Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
  • Water storage: Water reservoir like Camelbaks are encouraged - but enough for at least 2-3 liters.
  • Comfortable hiking boots (lightweight with good soles)

FOR YOUR DUFFEL:

  • Remember you are packing for 2 nights of camping and 1 night in a hotel. Porters will carry up to 8 kg of your personal items. This must include your sleeping bag and air matt (if you bring/rent
    one). From us these two items weigh 3.5 kg.
  • 2 wicking t-shirts
  • 2 hiking pants
  • 4 sets of undergarments.
  • 3 sets of hiking socks
  • Bathing suit for Hot Springs
  • 1 Fleece
  • 1 Warm, down jacket: this trek includes 2 cold nights camping
  • 1 Rain jacket and pants
  • 1 sun hat
  • 1 wool hat
  • Headlamp: essential
  • Waterproof gloves (even if they are ski gloves, take them)
  • Comfortable shoes for camp
  • Walking boots
  • Waterproof jacket/rain poncho
  • Quickdry towel. We provide small ones, you might enjoy something a little larger.
  • Small bottle of soap: we provide warm water each day to clean - might make you feel fresh if you had a little soap.
  • Battery Charger: There is no place to plug in while trekking!
  • Large plastic bags: to help organize and keep clean from dirty.
  • Sleeping bag: Recommend down bags for -10C at least

TOILETRIES:

  • Sunscreen
  • Face moisturizer
  • Bug spray
  • Handsanitizer
  • Wet wipes
  • Toothbrush and paste
  • Toiletpaper
  • Personal medication
  • First aid kit: band aids, moleskin, etc.

INSIDE YOUR DAYPACKS:

  • Daypacks can be any size for hiking, but we always recommend the smaller, the better. Inside Machu Picchu, no bag larger than 25L will be allowed in. If larger, you will need to store outside citadel
    gates.
  • PassportValid, STUDENT card (if you booked as a student)Immigration Card (given on the plane as you enter Peru)Good daypack (the smaller, the better)Water storage: Water reservoir like Camelbaks are
    encouraged - but enough for at least 2-3 liters.Comfortable hiking boots (lightweight with good soles)
  • Water: we supply clean water at each meal. You are responsible for your first morning of water only as we won't have time to filter water until your first lunch.
  • Sunhat
  • Rain gear
  • Fleece
  • Camera
  • Music (IPhone)
  • Handsanitizer
  • Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
  • Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips

Tour Map

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